The Transfer Tavern

Talking Tactics: Arsenal XI vs Cardiff City

Arsenal took a step in the right direction in their last outing as they secured all three points against West Ham United at the Emirates.

The London club looked less than convincing in Unai Emery’s first few competitive games in the Premier League, but things look to be on the up. However, despite being impressive last time out against the Hammers, there are still a number of changes that need to be made.

Emery’s side will travel to the Cardiff City Stadium to face Cardiff City later on today. The Blues haven’t exactly hit the ground running since making the step up to the top-flight, but they do have a couple of points on the board.

Nevertheless, having taken Emery’s selections from recent games, we’ve come up with a team that we think the Spaniard could line up with against Cardiff City…

ARSENAL’S POTENTIAL TEAM VS CARDIFF CITY

We’ve gone with a 4-2-3-1 formation, as that is the formation that Emery has looked to make use of since taking charge in North London. This allows the wingers to make use of space out wide and provides the striker with plenty of support and service, with two central midfielders helping control the game.

Petr Cech has pulled off a number of impressive saves so far this season despite the Gunners enduring a tough start to proceedings.

In defence, Hector Bellerin will be looking to make use of his electrifying pace down the right-hand side, while Nacho Monreal should be given the nod to pick up where he left off against the Hammers. Sokratis Papastathopoulos managed to find his feet last time out against West Ham, while Shkodran Mustafi put in a classy performance.

Matteo Guendouzi has been one of the standout performers since making the move to the Emirates as he continues to prove that age is just a number. The Frenchman will continue to develop his partnership with Granit Xhaka, who has come on leaps and bounds since the last campaign.

The Gunners’ attacking three will consist of Alex Iwobi, Aaron Ramsey and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Nigerian has been in superb form recently and will be looking to pick up where he left off later on today, while the other two midfielders should be able to contribute heavily in the final third.

Lastly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will look to make use of his pace at the pinnacle of the attack by making runs in behind the Blues’ defence, and should be able to hold up the ball for onrushing players.